Bethany Chase rattled me with this novel. This story is about trust lost. It’s about a betrayal so deep that you don’t know how you’ll go on from the hurt you endure. I have a weak spot for stories like these because nothing breaks my heart more than the realization that someone you trust with everything turns out to be the one who hurts you the most. That’s what Caroline Hammond experiences and throughout the progression of this novel I felt everything she did, and that gut-wrenching disillusionment absolutely broke my heart. It hurt.
I’m … [Read more...]

Colleen Hoover delivers her most powerful work to date with It Ends With Us. In this novel we have a striking story about the strength it takes to not only stay afloat in this thrashing sea we call life, but how we find strength and resilience enough to swim even when it feels like we’re close to drowning.
Intuitive
This novel greatly reflects the human condition and all its frailties. The characters in this book feel very natural, layered, flawed, and real, particularly the protagonists. The themes presented in this novel are very … [Read more...]

I always have a difficult time writing reviews for these kinds of books; the ones that leave me in a sort of open state. By that, I mean a state in which my mind hasn’t quite settled yet as I’m still going over what transpired, and my mind is still racing down the tracks, experiencing this ride, long after the train has stopped. In this moving story about love and family, Emily Giffin explores relationships, particularly the sibling relationship, and how love endures even after crushing heartbreak. She introduces two characters that leave an … [Read more...]

Finding Fraser is a fun read for chick lit lovers and fans of Outlander. In this funny fiction we're taken on a crazy ride as Emma leaves Chicago for Scotland in search of a modern James Alexander Malcolm MacKenzie Fraser. We meet memorable characters, and experience Scotland through the eyes of someone desperate for change and adventure. I enjoyed this novel, for the most part, loving each twist in Emma's journey, but I was only here for the romance, and that aspect of the book disappoints.
Of course when Diana Gabaldon first mentioned this … [Read more...]

We Were Here was a nostalgic trip down memory lane. From start to finish, it felt like I was experiencing some of the best times of my life with my best friends. It made me jealous that I didn’t actually go to college during that time.
Daisy Prescott writes all of her characters in such a way that they feel familiar and warm in a way that only your best friends do. I loved getting to visit them all again, especially together. Their antics, their love stories, their emotions all felt like they were somehow also my own.
I loved all of the … [Read more...]

When I received a copy of this book for review and it was pointed out to me that this is the book that Dakota Johnson and Rebel Wilson’s new movie is based off of, I got really excited. I mean, come on. That trailer makes the movie look hilarious. So I happily dove in headfirst.
How to Be Single has a sort of Eat, Pray, Love feel to it. It involves a lot of soul searching and self-discovery, all revolving around love and marriage.
“I don’t think you can ever just sit back and let love find you. Love isn’t that clever. Love isn’t actually … [Read more...]

Oh my word, these women. I've just closed the last page of The Expatriates and I can't help but feel that I've experienced something immensely powerful. This book is so beautifully poignant and emotionally reeling that I know I'll have difficulty forgetting it.
The Expatriates follows three American women, Margaret, Mercy, and Hilary, who live in an insulated and exclusive social sphere in Hong Kong. I'll give a bit more background on each woman, since I'm not a regular reader of fiction, women's fiction, literary fiction, whatever you … [Read more...]

My Best Friend's Girl by Dorothy Koomson is a kind of unassuming story that leaves a pretty large impact. This story quietly infiltrated my mind and my heart and I think I'll remember this one for a long time.
The story begins with Kamryn as she prepares to have a perfect birthday, and everything's going according to plan until she opens a card from her ex-best friend. In it is a note saying that she must come to the hospital to visit because her friend is dying. (Yep, I was crying during the first chapter.) Kamryn's beyond conflicted because … [Read more...]

Why do I keep reading these books? I knew pretty early on that this one would end in tears, but I couldn't stop reading. I was entrenched in the multi-faceted plot from the beginning and even though this book dealt with a topic that usually crushes me, I was so moved by Karen White's rich story that I had to read it.
This novel was heartbreaking. I'm pretty spent right now because I've been crying for the last hour, relieving the tension I held inside while reading. The Sound of Glass is a book about sisterhood, family, strength, regret and … [Read more...]